Typical known molar appliances are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,886,451, and 4,820,151. Patient discomfort and irritation has often been associated with many known molar appliances. Irritation is typically attributable to hooks that provide anchorage for ligature or elastics protruding from the appliances. The hooks frequently rub against the inner surface of a patient's cheek causing irritation. It has also proven to be difficult to accurately set up the desired configuration of force vectors applied by the appliance to the teeth. Using one known method, torque is applied to the tooth by twisting the archwire. This method, however, is relatively inaccurate, time consuming, and depends to a large extent on the individual skill of the orthodontist. A more recent improvement on this method involves the application of torque to the tooth through the angulation of the arch-wire slot. An arch wire is inserted into an arch-wire slot oriented at an acute angle relative to the surface of the tooth, however, because the torque is applied by the arch-wire slot, the point of application of the torque is more in occlusion than is typically desired. It has also been found at times to be difficult to accurately place the appliance on the tooth because the angled orientation of the arch-wire slot can be visually confusing.